University of Connecticut Athletics
Fans Can Meet & Greet Emeka Okafor On Dec. 28
12/26/2022 8:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Dec. 26, 2022
HARTFORD – UConn men's basketball fans will get the chance to spend some time with one of the top players in the history of the program Wednesday as KeyBank sponsors a Meet & Greet with Emeka Okafor.
Okafor, named the Most Outstanding Player as UConn captured the 2004 NCAA National Championship, will be signing autographs and meeting fans from 5:30-6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the main atrium in the XL Center in Hartford near the KeyBank branch location. Immediately afterward, UConn will meet Villanova at the XL Center, with game time set for 6:30 p.m.
The Meet & Greet is a first-come, first-served basis. Limited edition posters will be provided, while supplies last. No signing of personal items is allowed.
The 6-10 Okafor, who graduated from UConn is three years with a degree in finance, is one of just five players in the history of the program who amassed 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and the only UConn player to ever post the 1,000-1,000 plateaus as well as 400 blocked shots. His 1,426 points rank 23rd on UConn's all-time list, while his 1,091 rebounds rank fourth, and 19 years after his graduation, he is still UConn's all-time leader in blocked shots with 441.
A two-time All-American, the BIG EAST Player of the Year and NABC co-National Player of the Year in 2003-2004, Okafor averaged 17.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.1 blocked blocks as he led the Huskies' to the program's second NCAA crown.
The No. 2 overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, Okafor was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2004-05. Although his NBA career was interrupted by a neck injury, Okafor played 10 years in the league with the Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards, and New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 7,370 points and grabbing 5,697 rebounds. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
